When I was in treatment, there were a lot of different therapies offered to me. We had a lot of group therapy. We had individual therapy. We had specific tracks for trauma, addiction, and other things that needed special care. We had music therapy. We had mindfulness. We had a lot, but I always looked forward to art therapy.

During art therapy, we were allowed to do a variety of different activities. We could paint, color, draw, do sand-art, or really anything you could think of. They encouraged patients to try everything so that they could find a medium that really resonated with them. Every week, I came in and did the exact same thing: I made collages.

Neve McClymont

Collages are so simple and so versatile. Collages can be anything–from pictures you like to bits of color that you put together in a really pretty, abstract way. Collages can be vision boards. Collages can represent bad things or good things. Sometimes, I would rip images from magazines that triggered me, then paint over them once they were securely on my page.

But the end-product of a collage isn't the only therapeutic part. The process of making a collage can calm down even the most anxious person. The process of selecting photos you like from a magazine is uplifting. If you're just looking for colors, that can take your mind off of whatever issue is at hand.

Once you've found what you want, ripping the image out is therapeutic, too. When you're looking for a certain color to create a background, you can just rip that image into pieces with no regard for form, shape, or being neat. When I get anxious, I rip. It's what I do. Naturally, this medium worked really well for me.

Next, you glue your desired pieces down. This can get monotonous, but it can still be beneficial. The simple repetitive act of gluing pieces to a page can put you on auto-pilot. When you're on auto-pilot, it's way harder to freak out. At least, from what I've experienced.

Beyond the whole process of making the collage, the end-product is so rewarding. Last night, I used a collage method to make a decoration for my apartment. It's so rewarding to look at the canvas I made and think to myself "I made that with my own two hands."

It's so nice to be able to turn your distress into something beautiful. Channeling that negative energy into creating something, rather than destroying something, can be a truly transformative thing.